Overview
The Festival
On the waterfront of Corio Bay Geelong, the Royal Geelong Yacht Club is one of Australia’s most successful yacht clubs.
The Royal Geelong Yacht Club welcomes sailing and social patrons alike. The clubrooms offer a cafe and a fully licensed bar.
The Royal Geelong Yacht Club prides itself on being a family club, with generations of families have contributed to the rich culture that the organization now enjoys. Following the huge success of the “Geelong Regatta” now known as the “Festival of Sails”, which was first held on Corio Bay in 1844, the enthusiastic organizing committee unanimously voted for the formation of the Geelong Yacht Club in 1859. On the 27th of March 1924, the Club was granted a Royal Warrant and became the Royal Geelong Yacht Club.
From these humble beginnings, the club has grown to be the home to the best sailing experience you can have, with over 1200 Members ranging in age from 5 to 90. Being an innovative club, strategic to introducing sailing to the community and strengthening the membership base is always uppermost in planning the way ahead.
The Royal Geelong Yacht Club has made a major commitment to Discover Salling and continues to develop youth involvement.
Welcome
On behalf of the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, I am thrilled to extend a warm welcome to all sailors, officials, volunteers, support staff, and guests to Geelong for the 2025 Festival of Sails. After an amazing 2024, we are set to make this year’s event bigger and better! We also extend our gratitude to our major sponsors, the State Government of Victoria, and the City of Greater Geelong for their invaluable support and assistance.
The Festival of Sails remains a cornerstone of the Australian Sailing calendar, offering a unique blend of world-class sailing on Corio Bay and the chance to celebrate and reconnect with old friends.
In 2025, we proudly celebrate the 182nd edition of the Melbourne to Geelong Passage Race, scheduled for Saturday, 25 January 2025. We are also excited to welcome back the Jimmy Rum Mornington to Geelong Passage Race, providing an alternate start for boats eager to participate in this historic race!
Following the Passage Race, enjoy an additional three days of thrilling racing on Corio Bay and vibrant festivities at the RGYC and Geelong Waterfront. The event will feature a wide range of divisions to accommodate various boat owners, including sports boats, J111s, S80s, Etchells, cruising keelboats with and without spinnakers, cruising AMS, and multihulls.
Beyond the sailing regatta, the Festival of Sails draws tens of thousands of visitors to celebrate Australia Day along the Geelong Waterfront. With live music, market stalls, roving entertainers, food trucks, and a plethora of free family-friendly activities, there is something for everyone.
Whether you are a sailor or a spectator seeking fun for the whole family, the Festival of Sails on Geelong’s waterfront in January is the place to experience it all. We look forward to welcoming you, your crew, and your family to Geelong in 2025.
Roger Bennett
RGYC Commodore
Sponsors & Partners
The Royal Geelong Yacht Club’s Festival of Sails is the largest yachting event in Australia and the biggest keelboat event in the southern hemisphere. We welcome your interest in becoming involved in this exciting, highly regarded event held in the heart of Geelong in January every year. The marquee event is the Passage Race from Melbourne to Geelong, a spectacle without peers. Our loyal sponsors have continued to support us throughout the years, and we encourage you to support those businesses below that allow us to run this fantastic event.We thank our loyal sponsors who continue to partner with Festival of Sails.
Visit Victoria
Visit Victoria is the primary tourism and events company for the State of Victoria in Australia.
City of Greater Geelong
The City of Greater Geelong supports a broad range of events across our region, from major events to community festivals.
Geelong is Victoria’s largest regional city and our municipality is home to more than 252,000 people.
The City supports events as they deliver measurable economic benefits to our region, market Geelong outside the municipality, and enhance community life and participation for residents and visitors.
History
The Festival of Sails combines history with tradition; heritage with technology; tactics with teamwork.
First held in 1844, the Festival of Sails has consistently attracted the highest calibre of sailing craft and crew, family and friends, attracting over 100,000 visitors every January, held at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC) and along the Geelong waterfront.
In 1997, the successful merger of the Geelong Waterfront Festival and RGYC’s historic Australia Day Regatta saw the beginning of a new major event in Victoria – the Festival of Sails. The Festival of Sails is strongly supported by the Victorian Government and the City of Greater Geelong, along with several other stakeholders.
Festival of Sails is particularly famous for its Melbourne to Geelong Passage Race – the oldest sporting event in the Southern Hemisphere – which kicks off the festival each year and in 2023 will celebrate its 180th anniversary.
Royal Geelong Yacht Club
Established in 1859, Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC) is one of the oldest sailing clubs in Australia and situated in the premier position in the heart of the City of Geelong. RGYC is located on the land of the Wadawurrung people, who have inhabited it for over 25,000 years.
RGYC’s exquisite setting and world-class facilities ensure members and visitors alike can enjoy the club, the location, and all the entertainment, restaurants, accommodation, supermarkets and specialty shops that are conveniently within 200m walking distance.
RGYC is a leader in regatta and event management, hosting Festival of Sails annually as well as the biennial Wooden Boat Festival of Geelong. RGYC has also hosted several World, National and State Championships at the club.
From major events, social activity and action both on and off water, RGYC has something for everyone to enjoy. The onsite Cafe & Catering Operators – The Yot – also offer fine food for your enjoyment. Tailored function bookings are also available via The Yot.
Notably, RGYC was named the 2020 Australian Sailing Club of the Year and in 2021, achieved a 4 Gold Anchor rating in the Marina Industries Association Gold Anchor International Rating Scheme.
News
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Festival of Sails 2025: Record Early Bird Entries!
Get ready, sailors and festival-goers! The excitement is already building for the 2025 Festival of Sails, and it’s shaping up to be bigger and better…
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181st Festival of Sails concludes with a parade of colour
The 2024 Festival of Sails has wrapped up after three days of fast and furious sailing, sensational entertainment and a ‘tick of approval’ from visitors to the reinvigorated, party atmosphere of the Geelong waterfront site.
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One Hundred Thousand Turn Out To Celebrate Festival Of Sails!
The 2024 Festival of Sails has wrapped up after three days of fast and furious sailing, sensational entertainment and a ‘tick of approval’ from visitors to the reinvigorated, party atmosphere of the Geelong waterfront site.
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Geelong Cadets Heading To UK To Compete In World Sailing Championships
From the waters of Corio Bay to the English seas off Plymouth, six young Geelong sailors are about to take on fellow young sailors from around the globe in the 2024 Cadet World Championships.
Photo Gallery
Media Centre
The Festivals of Sails’ media & PR team can accredit working media and freelancers with relevant commissions and provide access to onsite media centre facilities, site visits and to media boats to view the racing.
Please direct any media enquiries to our Marketing and Communications Coordinator via madelinec@rgyc.com.au.
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